Information message about destructive earthquake in the North of Chile on November 14, 2007 |
The significant earthquake has occurred on November14, 2007 at 15:40 GMT (18:40 Moscow time) in the North of Chile with М=7.7. It caused victims and destructions. |
Parameters of the earthquake
have been determined in the Alert Service (AS) of Information
Processing Center (IPC) of Geophysical Survey of RAS in Obninsk with station data
obtained from digital and analog seismic stations of Russia, countries of CIS
and from abroad. Alert message on this earthquake has been delivered in 45 min after
registration to the Ministry of Emergency of the Russian Federation (EMERCOM). |
Preliminary processing has been done with data from 28 stations, accurate processing - with data 35 stations. |
Fig. 1 presents fragments of records obtained from digital stations East Falkland Island (∆ 30º), Hockley (∆ 57º), Sanae (∆ 62º), Albuquerque (∆ 66º). Fig. 2 presents fragments of records obtained from digital stations Vasula (∆ 112º), Obninsk (∆ 117º), Kislovodsk (∆ 121º), Arti (∆ 129º). |
 Figure 1 |  Figure 2 |
|
IPC GS RAS also has obtained information with parameters of this event from some seismological centers, these data are given in table 1: |
Table 1 |
NN |
Time in origin h-min-s (GMT) |
Lat degr. |
Lon degr. |
Depth km |
N s/st |
Ms/ N |
mb/ N |
I0 calc |
GAP |
Center | 1 |
15-40-51.7 |
-22.21 |
-69.93 |
60 |
35 |
7.7/17 | 7/7 | 8-8.5 | 63 | IPC GS RAS (Accurate) | 2 |
15-40-52.0 |
-22.24 |
-69.94 |
60 |
28 |
7.6/13 | 6.9/5 | 8-8.5 | 63 | IPC GS RAS (Preliminary) | 3 |
15-40-50.3 |
-22.2 |
-70.02 |
50 |
230 |
7.7Mw | | | 72 | CSEM | 4 |
15-40-53.0 |
-22.19 |
-69.84 |
60 |
192 |
7.7Mw | 6.8/153 | | 76 | NEIC | |
IPC GS RAS - Informational Processing Center, Geophysical Survey, Russian Academy of Sciences |
CSEM - European - Mediterranean seismological center |
NEIC - National Earthquakes Information Center of US Geological Service |
Epicenter |
Fig.3 presents the picture downloaded from National Earthquakes Information Center of US Geological Service and demonstrates epicenter of this earthquake, which was located in the north of Chile not far from Pacific Ocean coast at the depth of 60 kilometers, this is 40 km to the east-south-Calama and 170 km to the north-north-east from Antofagasta. However underground shocks were felt even in the capital Santiago, which is located more than thousand kilometers from the origin place. |
 Figure 3 |
|
Aftershock |
This earthquake has been accompanied with aftershocks. The strongest aftershock with М=5.8 has occurred in 2 hours after the main shock. GS RAS has registered 7 aftershocks within the first day after the main shock. |
N |
Date & Time (GMT) yy-mm-dd hh:mm:sec |
Lat degr. |
Lon degr. |
Depth km |
N station |
Ms/ N |
mb/ N |
Io calc. |
Region |
20074028 | 2007-11-14 17:18:44.0 | -23.08 | -70.02 | 50 | 12 | - | 5.3/ 3 | 3.5-4 | Near coast of Northern Chile | 20074030 | 2007-11-14 17:44:03.0 | -23.16 | -70.64 | 40 | 21 | - | 5.8/ 6 | 5-5.5 | Near coast of Northern Chile | 20074031 | 2007-11-14 17:53:27.0 | -22.97 | -69.87 | 33 | 8 | - | 5.1/ 3 | 3.5-4 | Northern Chile | 20074034 | 2007-11-14 18:55:46.0 | -22.49 | -69.92 | 33 | 6 | - | 5.1/ 4 | 3.5-4 | Northern Chile | 20074033 | 2007-11-14 19:17:23.0 | -22.37 | -69.94 | 50 | 5 | - | 4.8/ 3 | 2.5 | Northern Chile | 20074037 | 2007-11-15 01:46:36.0 | -23.04 | -69.98 | 33 | 12 | - | 5.0/ 4 | 3.5-4 | Northern Chile | 20074040 | 2007-11-15 11:14:50.0 | -23.18 | -70.73 | 33 | 9 | - | 5.2/ 2 | 4-4.5 | Near coast of Northern Chile | |
Macroseismic manifestations |
Russian information agency ITAR TASS reported about 2 killed persons in Peru and 150 injured. Local TV showed the pictures from the earthquake’s affected regions: the cars under the debris of crashed portico of the hotel (fig.4-6), cracks in the concrete runway of Antofagasta airport. The situation was complicated by the fact, that there are numerous metal excavation pit mines in the area of the earthquake. Nearly fifty road workers have been blocked in tunnel, which crashed after the surface vibrations. The disaster destroyed and hit many buildings. Dozens of towns and settlements were left without electricity supply. Surface vibrations were registered also in Bolivia, Peru and Argentina in accordance with ICTV |
|
Focal mechanism and seismic moment of the earthquake |
Focal mechanism solution for this earthquake 14.11.2007 has been obtained in NEIC, USA and in Harvard Center, USA (HARVARD) with TMC method. Both solutions are almost the same. This earthquake has happened under the action of compression forces oriented to the west with the type of the motion – uplift along the steep falling plane having meridian direction of propagation and thrust – along the flat plane of meridian direction of propagation. Focal mechanism solution is presented in table 2 and shown on figures 7, 8. |
Table 2 |
Axes of main strengths |
Nodal planes |
Center |
T |
P |
N |
NP1 |
NP2 |
Pl |
Azm |
Pl |
Azm |
Pl |
Azm |
Stk |
Dp |
Slip |
Stk |
Dp |
Slip |
63 | 76 | 26 | 263 |
2 | 172 | 0 | 18 | 99 | 171 |
72 | 87 | NEIC | 65 | 75 | 25 | 262 |
3 | 171 | 358 | 20 | 98 | 170 |
70 | 87 | HARVARD | |
NEIC - National Earthquakes Information Center of US Geological Service |
HARVARD - Harvard Geophysical Center (USA) |
 Figure 7 |  Figure 8 |
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